<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Your multicoloured soul by HistoriaGloria</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779615">Your multicoloured soul</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HistoriaGloria/pseuds/HistoriaGloria'>HistoriaGloria</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Penumbra Podcast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Follows up to Juno Steel and the Man In Glass, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Peter Nureyev and his many aliases, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:55:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HistoriaGloria/pseuds/HistoriaGloria</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>'Juno Steel hadn’t thought about colour in a long time.<br/>He knew the stories, the legends, everything about why people can see in colour, about soulmates and people who mean more to you than anything in the whole wide world.'</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>180</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone! I'm back with more Penumbra and soulmates this time, because I'm a predictable queer.<br/>Will I add more to this? Possibly! I might add a second chapter, with more discussions of these two later on, in seasons 2 and 3, we'll see!<br/>For now, I hope you enjoy this!<br/>Thank you so much for reading!</p><p>TW: Very brief allusion to domestic violence and canon-typical torture. Please be safe friends!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Juno Steel hadn’t thought about colour in a long time.</p>
<p>He knew the stories, the legends, everything about why people can see in colour, about <em>soulmates </em>and people who mean more to you than anything in the whole wide world.</p>
<p>Benzaiten was blue. Juno grew up being able to see the blue tinge of the dome, the rich navy of Ben’s favourite jacket, the vibrant mark of pure cobalt that streaked down his left palm, where Benten placed his fingertips against Juno’s, only moments old. In a world where so much is grey, grey, grey for so many people, Juno was lucky for his splash of vibrancy.</p>
<p>According to him, Juno was red. Benzaiten would talk about how <em>red </em>Mars was, about the dust storms outside the dome, about the red in their mother’s hair. About how crimson blood was when Juno got into too much trouble, about how that same colour had always stained his fingertips.</p>
<p>Sarah Steel never spoke about the colours. And Juno and Benzaiten never saw her soulmarks.</p>
<p>Often, on the bad days, Juno rationalised that a monster like her couldn’t have any. Honestly, it was just sad that she didn’t.</p>
<p>When Benzaiten died, colour didn’t leech from Juno’s sight like some dumb story. It just… dulled. He could still see the cobalt streak on his palm, it just had lost its… well, <em>life</em>.</p>
<p>And sometimes, Juno wished that blue had left his sight, because if it had, it might have been easier to forget Benten sometimes. But it still hurt, deep down, whenever he caught sight of his own hand, almost like the mark was mocking him. He took to wearing gloves after that.</p>
<p>Rita was green. Her mark wasn’t as obvious as Benzaiten’s, a light streak of colour just above Juno’s right hipbone, where she had brushed against him as he had bent down to pick something up for her, two weeks into knowing her.</p>
<p>And suddenly, green.</p>
<p>Admittedly, Mars did not have a lot of natural green. But it was certainly surprising to see the colours swim into focus, the sharp acidic colour of Rita’s glasses, the light tinge to the paper on his desk.</p>
<p>For her, Juno was blue. Wasn’t that painful? Juno could see his own soulmark on her upper arm, a washed out navy and it took everything in him not to break at that sight. She had been so surprised, flustered by the mark and its implications, but everyone knew that platonic connections were as impactful as romantic ones. And well, Juno really wasn’t her type.</p>
<p>Diamond was no colour at all. That should have been the first warning sign, that it was going to go sour. But all of Juno’s soulmates had been platonic so far; he had barely considered the implications of his romantic partner not connecting to his soul.</p>
<p>And well, the bruises they had left behind, washed in faded blue and sickly green, had taught him differently.</p>
<p>And then… then, Peter Nureyev happened.</p><hr/>
<p>“Rex,” Juno whispers, staring up at the man. They were inches apart now, Rex’s gloved hand on Juno’s cheek.</p>
<p>The PI reaches up, closing his eyes and brushed his fingertips over Rex’s ear before kissing him soundly. And that would have been fine…</p>
<p>If he hadn’t felt Rex’s long fingers carefully liberating the keys to his safe from his pocket. They separate for just a second and Juno’s hands are on his cuffs.</p>
<p>“Has anyone ever told you, you’re under arrest?”</p>
<p>“Oh, Juno! Not usually until the second date!” But something is wrong. Juno’s eyes are open and <strong><em>there is so much colour now. </em></strong>He can see the warm red of the planet outside, the way his faded blue mixes with the brilliant crimson to create the deep purple of his sofa, the splash of vibrant vermillion across the very edges of his fingertips.</p>
<p>Rex Glass has a bright rainbow of colour across the top of his left ear and through the black hair that hangs down there.</p>
<p>And it must have surprised him too because they’re both quiet for a very long moment, staring at each other in awe and horror.</p>
<p>Juno clears his throat.</p>
<p>“I mean it, Glass. Or whoever the hell you are…”</p>
<p>Both of them continue to charade, continue to bite and snark as Juno explains how he caught this man, but they’re both barely paying attention. Rex is too busy trying to sneak glances around, occasionally meeting Juno’s eyes. Juno does <em>not </em>want to deal with this, this magnetic pull towards Rex Glass, despite the fact that apparently the universe does want him to deal with it.</p>
<p>“We could have quite a time together, Juno. Who knows what kind of trouble we could cause?” Rex says, rattling his cuffs. Juno looks down. He doesn’t even know who this man is because he’s certainly not <em>Rex Glass, Dark Matters Agent</em>. This man is a thief and Juno resents him. He resents the universe for deciding that he desires him. Juno has never really taken the hints from the universe well. He’s much more of a <em>fuck you, universe, I make all the poor decisions I want </em>kind of guy. So, that’s why he lets the HCPD take away Not-Rex Glass without issue.</p>
<p>“It could be quite an adventure,” Not-Rex calls.</p>
<p>“I’m sure it will be. Wish I could come along,” Juno replies and his eyes are fixed on that traitorous spiral of colour across the thief’s ear until he is gone, dragged out of his apartment.</p>
<p>Then he finds the note, tucked between the seats on his sofa.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>If you wish for one last glimpse of me, watch the public access feed for Route 742. Somewhere around Mercury Drive, I suspect… but no farther than Vulcanis Way. Get a good look, detective: it may be your last. </em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em> I do hope it isn’t, though. I meant every word I said, Juno. It will be quite an adventure. I’ll be waiting for you to join me. </em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Signed, Your Better Half and Soulmate, Peter Nureyev</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>It’s written in red ink.</p>
<p>Juno swears, dropping his face into his hands, before pouring himself a drink.</p>
<p>His left hand is a riot of colour now, red fingertips and blue palm. And if it isn’t a smack in the face, he doesn’t know what is. Benzaiten’s mark for Juno had almost been identical. Well, whatever the universe thinks, that will be the last time he sees Peter Nureyev, soulmate or not.</p><hr/>
<p>Juno is so foolish to think that he could avoid him so easily.</p>
<p>They very much <em>do not </em>talk about anything during the heist as Duke and Dahlia Rose. Peter explains a little of how important it was that he remained anonymous, that he had bared his soul to Juno by giving him his name.</p>
<p>He doesn’t explain why he did it. He doesn’t need to.</p>
<p>And despite all of Juno’s frustrations and attempts to deny destiny or whatever… he wanted to outrun the end of the universe with Peter Nureyev.</p>
<p>And then… <strong><em>Miasma</em></strong>. She knows that they’re soulmates from the beginning, even if she and all of her cronies don’t have any visible soulmarks themselves. And it’s so easy for her to use Peter’s suffering against Juno because <em>fuck it</em> the soulmarks are right, he does care.</p>
<p>They sit, slumped together in that Martian tomb, in the cell that Miasma has created. Time doesn’t have a lot of meaning under the ground, but it’s certainly been a few days. They’re both tiring, the malnutrition and torture getting to them. Juno is beginning to doze off when Peter croaks out,</p>
<p>“The colours are very nice. Thank you for giving them to me. Well, aside from the blood. Didn’t know it was so, well… red.” Juno struggles to blink; his right eye feels gummed shut by the aforementioned liquid.</p>
<p>“You didn’t… no colour before?” Juno mutters and feels, rather than sees, Peter shake his head.</p>
<p>“Nope. Honestly didn’t think I ever would,” Peter says, with a wet laugh. “But they’re nice.” Juno is silent for a long moment. It has never been entirely colourless for him, this big wide world. He’s always been able to see blues, mingled in with the greys and Peter has never had that.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Juno mutters and Peter makes a quiet, questioning sound in reply. “That you didn’t have any colour earlier. I’ve… I’ve always been able to see blue.”</p>
<p>“Your brother?” he asks softly. Juno nods, but he doesn’t say anything else. The silence stretches out between them for a few long, agonising moments. They have been putting off this conversation for so long that to have it is like pulling teeth. Peter draws his long, slender fingertips over the back of Juno’s hand, gently tracing the soulmark that he had left there.</p>
<p>“Yours is, uh, kinda obvious,” Juno mutters, looking at the rainbow strip across Peter’s ear and through his black hair. Nureyev huffs a weak laugh against his shoulder.</p>
<p>“I had noticed.” He had hidden it for Duke Rose, arranged his hair in such a way that the colours were hidden, covered the tip of his ear with concealer. And then, just for fun, had streaked red down his throat, in the same shade as that which coloured Juno’s fingertips.</p>
<p>But this isn’t Duke Rose.</p>
<p>This is Peter Nureyev, exhausted and vulnerable, with angry red welts on his arms where Miasma’s assistants had shocked him over and over.</p>
<p>This is one of Juno’s soulmates.</p>
<p>“Credit for your thoughts?” Peter murmurs, his voice barely even a whisper.</p>
<p>“Spent a lot of time avoiding the fact we were soulmates. Didn’t make any difference. Still ended up caring about you,” Juno admits, his voice cautious, as though anyone else could hear them. Peter smiles and it’s pained and weak, but also, hopeful.</p>
<p>“I had always been told that soulmates tied you down, made it harder to disappear. I was told wrong.” Juno waits, listening for Peter to continue. It takes him a few minutes to realise that the thief has fallen asleep.</p>
<p>Surely, Peter is right though? Juno has made it harder for him. Because he could just disappear out of this cell and leave Juno to die here. He is the dead weight in this scenario.</p>
<p>But he’s too selfish to let Peter go. He can’t do this alone.</p><hr/>
<p>Juno learns so much about Nureyev from his trips inside his head. He learns about Brahma and Mag and New Kinsasha. And he finds that honestly, it just makes him feel sorry for him. He deserved better…</p>
<p>And then Peter escapes.</p>
<p>And honestly, Juno believes that he will come back. Because he swore he would and in the end, he’s part of Juno’s soul. It’s rather hard to disregard that. And so, when he does reappear, a knight in stolen armour, it really is all Juno can do not to swoon into his arms. They lace their fingers together as they race down the corridors of this tomb and Juno swears he can feel Peter’s heartbeat against his soulmark.</p>
<p>Then there’s Miasma and the Egg of Purus and Juno knows how to kill her, <em>he knows, he knows, he knows.</em></p>
<p>But Peter can’t be collateral.</p>
<p>“Juno! Juno, what are you doing?!” Nureyev’s voice is panicked and high-pitched as he thumps on the door. There is blood dripping down Juno’s face, he can feel it and more of his blaster shots are going wide than hitting. The world is awash with colour and <em>he can’t let another person who gave him that <strong>die. </strong></em></p>
<p>“This is the way it’s gotta be, Nureyev.”</p>
<p>“No, it is isn’t, you self-aggrandising-” He’s crying on the other side of that door. Juno can hear the way his breath hitches in his throat. Juno continues to fire, pressed up against the wall and he can’t bring himself to regret a single decision.</p>
<p>“Mind if I let you in on a little secret, Nureyev?”</p>
<p>“You idiot… Juno, you idiot!”</p>
<p>“You’re the greatest thing to ever happen to me. God, I should have gone with you when suddenly I could see how <em>red </em>everything was out here. And I’m sorry for what happens next, Nureyev. I’m so sorry that the colour won’t be as bright because of me.”</p>
<p>“Please,” Nureyev begs and thumps on the door again. “You don’t have to do this alone, please…” Miasma hisses and Juno shoots her again.</p>
<p>“Honestly, could you give me five minutes?! I’m trying to say goodbye to my soulmate here.” The hammering on the door restarts.</p>
<p>“Juno! Juno!”</p>
<p>“Ever since that night I tried to turn you in, I’ve been thinking about that - the adventures we were talking about, the bouncing from star to star, leaving this dump behind and seeing what the galaxy’s got to offer. All of those colours. I heard that Venus has some wonderful shades of green. I wish we got the chance to do that, Nureyev. If I’ve got one regret, it’s that.”</p>
<p>“Juno… Please. You gave me all this colour… I don’t want experience it alone,” Peter’s voice is cracked, desperate.</p>
<p>“Honestly, Nureyev? It’s been nice knowing you. It’s honestly been a gift I don’t deserve. I regret not going to see all of those colours out there with you.”</p>
<p>“Open this door! Juno, please! Juno!” Juno Steel turns away from the protestations of his soulmate.</p>
<p>“Alright, Miasma. You had something you wanted to say to me?”</p>
<p>When it is over and the Egg of Purus has hatched, destroying Miasma utterly, they help each other limp out of this hellscape.</p>
<p>“D’ya think whoever painted the Ruby7 hadn’t met all their soulmates yet?” Peter muses weakly as they trudge down another corridor. The question is so out of the blue that Juno snorts. “It’s green!”</p>
<p>“I hadn’t considered it, but you’re right,” Juno manages to say, rubbing at the encrusted blood on his cheek. Peter pauses as though thinking about it and finally says,</p>
<p>“Red would look bad on Mars, admittedly. It would just blend into the roads. No style at all.” Juno’s smile goes a little bit wry and he pauses.</p>
<p>Peter steps ahead of him and even underground, he shines. His eyes are so bright, so sharp and the colours against his black hair almost seem to glow.</p>
<p>Even the blue doesn’t appear as faded.</p>
<p>Something within Juno’s heart <em>tugs, </em>drawn to his soulmate and, for the moment, he doesn’t quash it down. He reaches out and intertwines their hands, red-tipped fingers against Peter’s knuckles.</p>
<p>And just for now, he lets himself have this; this shining multicoloured moment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>'Peter Nureyev avoids Mars.<br/>Can he be blamed, honestly? His soulmate appeared in his life with drama and drive and so much righteous anger that he couldn’t help fall in love.'</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey everyone!! So I wrote another chapter, to give you Peter's perspective! Honestly, I have really enjoyed writing this soulmate au and I hope you have enjoyed reading it!<br/>Thank you so much to everyone who commented!</p><p>Also, please check out this incredible <a href="https://lost-selkie.tumblr.com/post/616221947404107776/finished-have-some-jupeter-kisses-lads-also-i">art</a> that my SO drew, because it's great and they deserve love.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter Nureyev avoids Mars.</p><p>Can he be blamed, honestly? His soulmate appeared in his life with drama and drive and so much righteous anger that he couldn’t help fall in love.</p><p>And then, he left him, sneaking away in the night, leaving him to listen to the soft footfalls that he pretended not to hear.</p><p>So he leaves.</p><p>He gets on the first transport out of Mars and doesn’t look back at that red skyline behind him.</p><p>The colours are so bright and he hates them.</p><p>He <em>hates </em>that Juno Steel gave them to him. He wants so badly to hate <em>him</em> but he can’t. He can’t hate Juno Steel, not even after he left.</p><p>So, he compartmentalises. He places all of his emotions about Juno Steel, about his beautiful righteousness and sparkling wit in a box and locks it away in the dark recesses of his mind.</p><p>The Outer Rim is nice this time of the year.</p><p>Nureyev starts to wear aliases like a coat. He’s Caesar Moonstone; he’s Alexander Daisy; he’s Jasper Sterling; he’s anyone but Peter Nureyev. He runs cons and tricks, smile as slick as his fingertips. He lines his pockets with the wealth of the ultra-rich and then disappears as soon as they get even a little bit close.</p><p>It doesn’t help.</p><p>Sure, it pays some debts and keeps him away from Mars but it doesn’t help. He slips up as Jasper, just enough for Peter Nureyev to creep through, for his insecurities to show. It nearly ruins the con, almost scaring off the young woman he had been so very cautious about getting her bank details from. But her name was Hera and that’s another name for Juno and Peter had been so good. Until she had said something about <em>steel </em>in passing and Peter’s heart had jumped into his throat.</p><p>But Jasper Sterling is a smooth talker and he had managed to settle the deal, slipping away with a six-figure sum in the bank.</p>
<hr/><p>On Venus, as Orion Grey, he stares himself in the mirror. His soulmark is hidden, black hair shifted to covered the multicoloured strands of his hair. The tip of his ear is covered with concealer and he just stares himself. He needs to add a soulmark. He’s an excellent liar; you have to be in this business, but he’s not that good. It’s very clear when people can see colour, even if their soulmarks are not visible. It is all in the way they focus on things, on the way that things appear differently.</p><p>Nureyev had used it plenty in the past to work out who would be liable to fall for his seductive charms and who would need slightly different pressure points.</p><p>But it does mean that he has to give himself a false soulmark every time. His own is too recognisable. That’s what Mag had always said. That soulmates made you weak, stopped you from being anonymous because you could disappear as quickly as you like, but that splash of colour? That can be more difficult to hide. So Peter hides it, behind carefully positioned hair, under layers of concealer.</p><p>And then he takes his eyeshadow and paints fingertips on the back of his right hand, in the full array of colours. As Orion Grey scowls and heads out of his hotel room, all arrogance and stern words, the makeup feels thick on his hand.</p>
<hr/><p>On Europa, as Raziel Opal, he retreats alone to his hotel room, which he didn’t pay a cred for despite how beautiful it is. He takes off his glasses, small golden things which show his fine taste and easy wealth, placing them down on the side table. It’s then that he notices it.</p><p>There is a small lamp on the table, with a beautiful glass shade, painted with an array of rainbow stars.</p><p>Raziel has spent the evening with cobalt curling around his jaw and vermillion on the base of his palm and it was <em>fake fake fake </em>and here he stands, looking at all this colour.</p><p>Peter Nureyev reaches out and throws the lamp to the floor, shattering the glass shade, watching as the shards of colour bleed into the cream carpet.</p><p>He sobs, hunching over himself as he stares at all the damned colour that Juno Steel has gifted him and then never stopped to tell him why.</p>
<hr/><p>Nureyev introduces himself to Buddy Aurinko as Peter Ransom.</p><p>Ransom was close enough to himself that he can hold the persona with ease and it almost feels like himself sometimes.</p><p>Not that he’s ever really that sure <em>who </em>Peter Nureyev is in relation to his many other aliases.</p><p>Nureyev doesn’t cover his soulmark for the first time in a year when he meets her. He spends at least twenty minutes just staring at it in the mirror before he decides that covering it is more trouble than it’s worth. Especially considering that he named Juno Steel as his reference. Honestly, who else did he have?</p><p>Buddy is strong, sturdy and just as fierce as he had expected. Her own soulmark stains her palm with vibrant colour, matching that of Vespa’s.</p><p>And then, he is a member of the Carte Blanche and they’re heading back to Mars and going to see Juno Steel and he feels <em>sick. </em></p><p>He barely has time to think when he sees Juno standing there, coughing into his hand, surprised by the dust kicked up. Most of his clothing is black and for a second, Peter thinks that Juno should be wearing colour, just so that he can see his soulmate washed in the thing he gave him. But he isn’t. He’s just there, as pretty as Nureyev remembers, as stubborn too.</p><p>Jet and Rita are there too and Nureyev is a good thief; he recognises things quickly.</p><p>Jet has a stripe of colour across his knuckles, a light brush which he didn’t have before, in warm cerulean. It doesn’t match anything that Juno has, so it must have been Rita. Platonic soulmates and if he has learnt anything about Rita from Juno, they will be good together.</p><p>But then Juno stops coughing and Peter’s focus is on him like a laser.</p><p>“Hello Juno,” he says, almost softly. “It’s been a while.”</p>
<hr/><p>They do not talk.</p><p>It’s an active decision on Peter’s behalf, to avoid Juno with everything he has. Just because they are working together doesn’t mean he has to admit to himself how much Juno leaving hurt him, doesn’t mean he has to address the elephant in the room.</p><p>And then Buddy pairs them up for the mission with the Gilded Globe of Reaches Far. She doesn’t know that they’re soulmates, but the way she watches them interact… She knows that they have complicated history. So, he ignores the jabs from Vespa at the family meeting and continues along his work, ignoring Juno Steel.</p><p>The first issue he has in the dress Juno is wearing. He is a vision in gold and light, the jewelled eyepatch sending rainbows skittering across every surface. The colour is so bright, so intense and Peter feels like crying. Juno is wearing long satin gloves which hide his soulmarks and Peter’s is covered by the usual concealer, matched with a small stripe of colour around his wrist.</p><p>File it away for consideration.</p><p>He is sharp, cool with Juno, to the point that it annoys the ex-PI and honestly, Peter would be lying if that hadn’t upset him. He feels slightly better that he can rile up Juno after everything, but honestly, it’s really not as satisfying as he would have hoped.</p><p>Seeing him <em>flirt </em>with Nova Zolotovna had made something ugly rise up inside of him, a fierce jealousness that he very sharply files away.</p><p>If Juno Steel has no interest in a relationship, soulmates or not, Peter Nureyev is certainly not going to chase it.</p><p>And then, things start to fall apart and they are going to have to steal the globe. And Peter misses the camera.</p><p>And suddenly, he sees his soulmate in a new light again. And he realises that he does like what he sees when he looks at Juno, in spite of everything. No matter how many times he files away his emotions for later, they don’t stop hurting. For a second, he thinks about that shattered rainbow lamp on Europa, about how he had sobbed, furious with Juno and so very lonely. And his eyes are on Juno as he twirls across the dance floor, not just because he wants to see him pocket the Globe, but because his soulmate is so beautiful.</p><p>And then there’s the mess is Nova Zolotovna and fleeing with the Globe and then, they’re back on the Carte Blanche.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey there… Ransom.”</p><p>“Oh, just close the door and drop the silly moniker. I already regret choosing it.”</p><p>“Okay, Peter, then-”</p><p>“And not that, either. Everyone who's ever called me "Peter" has wanted to be my parent. Even if I've only let a few fit the role. So, please: just call me what you used to.” Juno is fidgeting awkwardly. He’s out of the dress which made him look every bit the goddess he was named for, his plain black eyepatch back on. His t-shirt is a bright blue, slightly too bright for Nureyev’s tastes and he suddenly remembers that Juno’s blue is dulled.</p><p>Peter is partially changed, his tie discarded and a couple of buttons on his shirt are undone. He has washed his make up off, revealing that dramatic spiral of colour on his ear.</p><p>“But… your name…”</p><p>“I've already torn the room apart looking for recording devices, and there are none. Just close the door, if you would.”</p><p>“Okay. So… <strong><em>Nureyev</em></strong>.” Peter can’t deny, hearing Juno Steel say his name again is almost enough to make him cry. “I’ve been thinking that we should probably. Um. Talk. About us.”</p><p>He speaks and Peter listens.</p><p>“Listen. I just... wanted to say I’m sorry. The last time we saw each other, that night... I messed up. I don’t know if that hurt, or how much it hurt, but that doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t’ve just walked out. And, well, that was unfair of me. You’re my soulmate, for crying out loud and I gave you all this colour and all these promises and then I ran away. That was, well, to put it mildly, that was really shitty of me, Nureyev. And I can’t expect you to forgive me, but uh, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about me and being better and you deserve better than what I was. But I’ve changed… and, uh, soulmates or whatever be damned, I want to know you. Because I meant it. Back when I said you were the greatest thing to happen to me.” He is sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his fingertips over the smear of cobalt on his palm, the mark from his brother.</p><p>Peter doesn’t know what to say.</p><p>He is sat beside Juno, looking at this new lady, this new Juno Steel who has grown into himself without him. And for the first time, he wants to stay. He wants to be Peter Nureyev.</p><p>“I… I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt,” he starts, haltingly. Without meaning to, he reaches up to toy with the coloured strands of his hair. “And it still does. The, ah, the colour has been the most impactful honestly. Because it always reminds me of you and you left.”</p><p>“I, well, I don’t think it ever stops reminding you of your soulmate,” Juno says, holding his palm up to Peter. “Always think of Benten when I see blue.” They’re quiet for a moment and then Peter murmurs,</p><p>“I want a relationship with you, Juno. Because I meant it too when I said I was falling in love with you.” Juno reaches out, gently taking Peter’s hand in his own.</p><p>“It’s not going to be easy, but, we can make it work. After all, the universe thinks we can.” Peter laughs a little at that, letting himself lean against the shorter lady.</p><p>“Well, who am I to argue with the universe?” Silence for a long second. “Juno?”</p><p>“Yeah, Nureyev?” And oh god, the way he says his name like a prayer is going to be the death of Peter one of these days.</p><p>“Can I kiss you?” Juno doesn’t reply, just turns and presses his lips to Nureyev’s like it is all he has wanted to do for ages. Peter’s free hand comes up to cup the back of Juno’s head as they kiss. And it feels like coming home.</p><p>Juno is the one to draw back, moving to rest his forehead against Nureyev’s.</p><p>“You only have me, don’t you?” he breathes, so close that Peter can almost taste the words. “I’m your only soulmate.”</p><p>“Yes,” he replies, his eyes half open. “I didn’t think I would have one for a very long time.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Juno goes to speak again but Peter cuts him off with another kiss.</p><p>“Later, Juno. For now, you’re here and that is what I want to remind myself of.” Juno smiles, reaching up to stroke his fingers over Nureyev’s soulmark before dropping them down to the collar of his shirt.</p><p>“Think I have an idea of how we could remind ourselves.”</p><p>Peter Nureyev laughs and pushes Juno down into the sheets of his bed.</p><p>Things aren’t fixed. There will still be arguments and Peter will still be frustrated at Juno for leaving and Juno will still snap at Peter out of habit.</p><p>But for now, under the low yellow glow of the ship’s light, Nureyev’s world is all <em>colour. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come and bother me on <a href="https://historia-gloria.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/HistoriaGloria">twitter</a>! I am always here for a chat!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>